Cape Cod Kisses (18 page)

“A beautiful stone mantel,” he finished for her as he handed her his coffee cup so he could spread out the blanket. At her surprised look, he said, “I know the house well. When I first opened my business and came back for the holidays, I almost bought it.”

He sank down to the blanket and guided her down beside him. She was already addicted to the weight of his arm around her, the feel of his body beside her. She thought about how quickly her feelings had become real. Her memory of the night she and Quinn had met was still a little fuzzy because of the champagne she’d drunk, but the
feel
of that night wasn’t fuzzy at all. And since spending more time with him, she
felt
him every time she thought of him, from the way his eyes washed over her skin and felt like a caress, to the warmth of his hands on her. Even the way he called her
Shell
made her heart go pitter-patter. Plus, whenever she thought about how hard he was working to prove himself to her in the aftermath of their one awful night, Shelley could feel herself relaxing into him more and more by the second.

“Why didn’t you buy it?”

“My business ramped up faster than I expected, and I knew I’d rarely come home for long enough to enjoy it. I’ve had my eye on it for a long time, though. It’s a fine property.”

“I won’t rent it if you want to buy it.”

He opened the brown bag and handed her a chocolate croissant. He must have been listening to what she’d said on the boat about loving them, even when she thought he was too sidetracked. He scooted closer as they bit into their pastries.

“If you want to be here, Shell, you should rent it. Besides, my business is busier than ever, so I’m in pretty much the same position I was before with it.”

Namely, she thought, that he was rarely on the island long enough to be able to enjoy the cute cottage. Reality came back with the weight of a dark cloud, and her perfect morning suddenly felt just a little less perfect with the realization that even if she did decide to fully trust him with her heart, he was going to be heading back to Annapolis soon. Even the chocolate melting on her tongue didn’t taste quite as good anymore.

She tried to distract herself from the way her stomach dipped at the idea of him leaving. “How are things going with your grandfather and his plans for the resort? Have you had any resolution?”

“We’re still waiting. My grandfather will likely take his sweet time and give us his answer when he’s good and ready and not a second before. He gave us his demands and then we gave him back ours. I know that sounds harsh for family, but...” He didn’t look particularly happy as he said, “But, unfortunately, that’s the way it’s always been with him.”

She wondered again about Chandler’s intentions. Why would anyone want to drive a wedge between themselves and their family? Then again, she thought with a little inward sigh, her parents did it every time they spoke, didn’t they?

Still, she couldn’t help but try to find a silver lining somewhere in the hopes that she could bring the smile back to Quinn’s face. “Do you think there’s any way that your grandfather has better, or different, intentions than it seems on the surface?”

“I overheard something that got me thinking that maybe there could be more layers to the situation than the rest of us think. But, honestly, that’s probably just wishful thinking on my part. Everything is about control to him. Always has been. And probably always will.” He cupped her cheek and brushed it with his thumb. “But I don’t really want to talk about the resort or my grandfather, if you don’t mind. I’d rather hear about where you are with your big plans to change your life.”

“They are pretty big, aren’t they?”

“Huge,” he agreed, “but you’re not the least bit afraid, are you?”

“Not of the idea of starting a new business or moving to a new place.” She followed the seam of his jeans with her index finger, thinking over his question. Shelley was comfortable talking about things she loved, but she wasn’t accustomed to talking about things that frightened her to anyone but Taryn. No man she’d dated had ever cared enough to ask. “But that doesn’t mean other things don’t scare me.”

“Like what?”

She shrugged, buying time and debating whether she should open up to him in that way. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of either falling all the way in with Quinn…or backing off from that huge risk.

Clearly able to sense her hesitation, he laced his fingers with hers and pressed another soft kiss to her lips. “I don’t mean to push you too far, or faster than you’re ready to go, Shell.” It warmed her to hear the same sweet nickname he’d called her last night when he was giving her more pleasure than she’d ever known before. “I just want to be closer to you, to get to know you better. I’ve never wanted that with anyone before, but I can’t help wanting to know everything about you.”

The sincerity in his voice, and in every wonderful thing he’d said and done since he’d apologized to her on the boat the previous morning, sent her tipping straight toward him and had the truth falling from her lips. “I want that, too, Quinn.” She paused as the step she was taking sank in.
Sharing secrets
. It was a big, trusting step. One that she realized felt completely
right.

“I’m not afraid of normal things, like bad guys or sharks.”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” he said with a smile. “Want me to take a guess?”

“Sure.” She tried to imagine what he’d say, but he’d surprised her so many times already, she knew whatever she guessed would be wrong.

“I think you’re afraid of being cast aside, like you don’t matter.”

Her chest tightened. “How do you…?”

He touched his forehead to hers. “Just from the little things you’ve said, it sounds like your parents didn’t know how lucky they were to have you as their daughter.”

She didn’t even try to speak. She knew no words could fit past the thickening in her throat. She gazed out over the water to try to deal with how strongly his incredibly sweet—and on-point—words had affected her. Had anyone ever seen into her heart this clearly?

He cupped her cheek and stroked her jaw, both a lover and a friend as he said, “I’m sorry, Shell. I’m sorry for every single time you’ve ever been hurt. And I’m so damn sorry that I ever hurt you.”

She looked up at him, knowing everything she was feeling was in her eyes but not wanting to hide anything from him anymore. “You already apologized. And I’ve forgiven you, Quinn.” And between yesterday and this moment they were sharing on the sand right now, Shelley realized that she truly had. Yet that didn’t change how her parents, and everyone in the world she’d grown up in, had always treated her, did it? “I suppose it’s silly, isn’t it, how I can be a confident businesswoman who’s not afraid to start over in a strange place where I only know a handful of people, but am afraid to be ignored, or forgotten, at the same time?” She tried to smile but couldn’t quite get her lips to move in the right direction. And she couldn’t keep the words from continuing to spill out, either. “How I can have so many friends and yet be afraid of never finding someone who thinks I’m
enough?
Someone who loves me for exactly who I am.”

THE SADNESS IN Shelley’s voice tugged at Quinn’s heart. How could she think she wasn’t enough for anyone? She was the brightest light in his life and he’d known her only a few days.

“My mom always says that love finds us when we’re busy living our lives, and that one day we realize the person we’ve just met or the person we’ve known our whole lives is the
only
person we can’t live without.” He’d heard her say that a million times, and yet as he repeated the words, it was as if he were hearing them for the first time.

Shelley rested her head on his shoulder. “Your mom is really wise. I like her a lot.”

He ran his hand over her hair, loving how soft and full it was and wanting to tangle his hands in her curls as he kissed her while the sun rose and the seabirds began circling the shoreline. “She likes you too, Shell.”

And so do I, exactly as you are.

“I’m glad you came by this morning, Quinn.”

“I was getting ready to go for a run when I realized that I can go for a run any day, but I only have a few days left to watch the sunrise with you.”

“You gave up your run for me?”

She sounded like he’d given up air instead of a sweaty sixty minutes. “You have no idea how special you are, do you?”

She blushed, and it reminded him of how sweet—how
perfect
—she’d looked last night on the boat.

He gently lifted her chin so she had to look at him, and even that one small touch sent his heart beating faster. “Every time we’re together you make me think about things I thought I’d left behind ages ago.” He had to stroke over her lower lip with his thumb, then had to follow that light caress with a kiss in the exact same place. “You make me see them all differently. That night we met at the cove, I was so pissed about being back on the island and taken away from my business at such a critical time. But then I saw you splashing in the waves, so carefree—”

“And naked. Don’t forget naked.” She laughed, while heat continued to spark between them, bright and hot. He was so damn glad to see that her smile was back. “That probably helped.”

“Naked always helps,” he agreed, smiling as he ran his fingers over the gorgeous curve of her neck and shoulders. Wanting her. Always wanting her, even as he said, “But when I saw you playing in the water, it was like my favorite cove, the place I’d used as a brooding ground, suddenly looked different. It was you, so bright and carefree, that turned that cove from a serious sulking spot into a little piece of heaven. That night I was running from everything piling up on my shoulders, trying to figure out how to get off the island as fast as possible, and then…there you were. You’re the first person, the
only
person, who has not only obliterated thoughts of work, Shelley, but also made my heart pound like this. It’s like everything turned from black-and-white to a kaleidoscope of color the moment I first saw you.”

His heart was pouring out of his mouth and he couldn’t stop it. Didn’t want to stop it. Not when she deserved to know everything he was feeling. “You know what I’m most afraid of right now?” He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Of dimming your bright light. Of you realizing that I’m exactly that guy you
don’t
want to be with. A workaholic like your father and my grandfather.”

“Oh, Quinn. Don’t you know you’re already showing me you aren’t that guy? Right here, right now, sharing this moment on the beach with me when we both know you could be holed up in your room poring over contracts and getting ready for meetings. Honestly, I respect how hard you work and how successful you’ve become. I just—” She drew her brows together, as if she were searching for the right words. “I just want whatever man I end up with to put me on par with work. Not above it, not below, just on an equal level.”

“I know I might not be the guy to be saying this when I’ve never been able to find any sort of balance in my life, but you deserve so much more than to be
on par
with anyone’s work.”

As if on cue, Quinn’s phone vibrated. “How’s that for bad timing?” he mumbled in an irritated voice.

She laughed. “Go ahead and answer it. You just spent an hour watching the sunrise with me, and it was like a dream come true. Only better.”

He kissed her again, wanting to take his time to drink her in as the light from the sunrise poured over them both, but when his phone buzzed again, he made himself draw back to read the group text from Trent.

“Speak of the devil who looks like my grandfather.” He looked up into Shelley’s clear green eyes and told her, “Looks like Chandler’s summoned us all to his office. He’s made his decision.”

HOW COULD ONE text lead to such conflicting feelings?

When Quinn walked Shelley back to her cottage and kissed her goodbye after confirming their plans to meet at the cove that evening to watch the fireworks, he didn’t want to leave. More than anything, he wanted to spend the rest of the day with her, exploring the island and pointing out all of the places he knew she’d love. But between his grandfather’s nonsense and the four e-mails he’d already received this morning from Rich about the merger, he knew he was lucky to even be able to squeeze in another few hours with her tonight.

He ran his hand roughly through his hair, trying to fit the warring elements of his mind into some semblance of normalcy. He wanted Shelley. Boy did he ever want her. But he had a business to run, and in a few minutes he’d find out if he was going to be set free to run that business—in which case he should be leaving on the next flight out of town rather than going to see the fireworks with Shelley—or if he was going to be saddled with rearranging his entire life to save the resort.

The thought of disappointing Shelley by having to cancel their date tonight slayed him. Her voice sailed through his mind.
You just spent an hour watching the sunrise with me, and it was like a dream come true. Only better.

But
she
was the one who was better than any dream could ever be.

So he wouldn’t disappoint her—or himself, damn it. No matter what happened with his grandfather, Annapolis would wait until morning.

And then after that...well, he really hoped that he and Shelley could figure out how to make a long-distance relationship work. They could see each other when he was in town, leaving her plenty of time to get her work done when he was in Annapolis.

But he already knew it wouldn’t be the same as just being able to spontaneously drop by her cottage in the morning to watch the sunrise together, or to be able to make love to her every night after it had set.

Quinn’s phone vibrated with a text from Rich as the elevator doors to his grandfather’s suite opened.
Just got confirmation about Joseph. It’s no longer a rumor. Our competition is definitely pursuing him. Big-time.

Great. Just what he needed right now on top of everything else, to worry about losing one of their best executives to their biggest competitor.